Wonderlic WBST study guide
Wonderlic WBST · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Wonderlic Basic Skills Test (WBST) is a Wonderlic assessment aimed at measuring foundational verbal and quantitative skills - the reading, language, and arithmetic competencies that many entry-level and job-readiness programs screen for. In the domain structure used here, it is split evenly: Verbal Skills (50%) and Quantitative Skills (50%). That makes it relevant to candidates applying for roles where instructions must be read accurately and simple calculations performed on the job, and to schools or workforce programs that use basic-skills scores for placement rather than for senior professional hiring. Wonderlic itself describes its platform as "science-backed talent assessments that help you hire, develop, and retain top talent," and the company traces its testing history to 1937. Topics on this exam: Verbal Skills and Quantitative Skills. The Wonderlic WBST study guide has 2 sections and about 632 words.
01Verbal Skills: Vocabulary, Word Relationships, and Sentence Logic
Verbal items on the Wonderlic test four overlapping skills: vocabulary in context, word relationships (analogies), sentence logic (fill-in-the-blank), and short-passage comprehension. You are not judged on style - you must choose the single best answer quickly, roughly 15–20 seconds per item. General-reading vocabulary : words such as candid , frugal , obsolete , reluctant , ambiguous , meticulous , indifferent . Analogy relations : function (hammer : nail), category (oak : tree), degree (warm : scorching), part-to-whole (petal : flower), opposition (thrifty : wasteful).
299 words, about 1 min02Quantitative Skills: Arithmetic Reasoning Under Time Pressure
Arithmetic reasoning against the clock: percentages, ratios and proportions, averages, rate–time–distance, simple algebra (solve for x), number sequences, and basic geometry (area, perimeter, angle sums). No calculator is allowed, and scratch work is expected. Percent of versus percent change : a 25% increase multiplies by 1.25; a 25% decrease multiplies by 0.75. Averages : average = sum ÷ count, and therefore sum = average × count.
333 words, about 2 min